Song Lyric Sunday: Outkast, “Hey Ya!”

Jim chose rap/hip-hop for today’s theme, and I almost bowed out because personally, I can’t stand rap. Hip-hop can be okay, though, and I thought of this yesterday when I saw it was Andre 3000’s birthday. Andre is one-half of the Atlanta-based rap/hip-hop duo Outkast. I remember getting up and putting the TV on MTV (in the days when it was a music channel) and seeing this video almost every morning. It’s from their fifth album, 2003’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below, "Hey Ya!"

[Intro: André 3000]
One, two, three, uh!

[Verse 1: André 3000]
My baby don’t mess around
Because she loves me so, and this I know for sure (Uh)
But does she really wanna
But can’t stand to see me walk out the door? (Ah)
Don’t try to fight the feeling
‘Cause the thought alone is killing me right now (Uh)
Thank God for Mom and Dad
For sticking to together ’cause we don’t know how (C’mon)

[Chorus: André 3000]
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!
Hey ya! Hey ya!

[Verse 2: André 3000]
You think you’ve got it, oh, you think you’ve got it
But “got it” just don’t get it till there’s nothing at all (Ah!)
We get together, oh, we get together
But separate’s always better when there’s feelings involved (Ah)
If what they say is, “Nothing is forever”
Then what makes, then what makes, then what makes
Then what makes, what makes, what makes love the exception?
So why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh
Are we so in denial when we know we’re not happy here?
Y’all don’t wanna hear me, you just wanna dance

[Chorus: André 3000]
Hey ya! (Uh-oh) Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Don’t want to meet your daddy
Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Just want you in my Caddy (Uh-oh)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Don’t want to meet your mama (Uh-oh)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Just want to make you cum-a’ (Uh-oh)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
I’m, I’m, I’m just being honest (Uh-oh)
Hey ya!
I’m just being honest

[Bridge 1: André 3000]
Hey, all right now, all right now, fellas (Yeah?)
Now, what’s cooler than being cool? (Ice Cold!)
I can’t hear ya
I say what’s, what’s cooler than being cool? (Ice Cold!)
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right
Okay now, ladies (Yeah?)
Now, we gon’ break this thing down in just a few seconds
Now, don’t have me break this thing down for nothing
Now, I want to see y’all on your baddest behavior
Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor
Ah, here we go!
[Refrain: André 3000]
Shake it, sh-shake it, shake it, sh-shake it (Uh-oh)
Shake it, sh-shake it, shake it, shake it, sh-shake it (Uh-oh)
Shake it like a Polaroid picture, hey ya!
Shake it, sh-shake it, shake it, sh-shake it
Shake it, shake it (Okay), shake it, sugar
Shake it like a Polaroid picture

[Bridge 2: André 3000]
Now, all the Beyoncés and Lucy Lius
And baby dolls, get on the floor
You know what to do, oh, you know what to do
You know what to do

[Chorus: André 3000]
Hey ya! (Uh-oh) Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh) Hey ya! (Uh-oh, hey ya!)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh) Hey ya! (Oh, oh, uh-oh)
Hey ya! (Uh-oh) Hey ya! (Uh-oh)
Hey ya! Hey ya!

Source: Genius

And that’s Song Lyric Sunday (and Song of the Day) for May 28, 2023.

Song Lyric Sunday: K. C. & The Sunshine Band, “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty”

Jim has chosen DISCO! as the theme for today…

So, let’s get down to it!

KC & The Sunshine Band started in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. KC is Harry Wayne Casey (whose name would be great for a serial killer, a la John Wayne Gacy) and The Sunshine Band are all from the Sunshine State. This band had a hell of a run in the mid- to late-’70’s, with five #1’s and two #2’s in that period of time. "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" was the third of those five #1’s, as well as being #1 on the R&B chart, #9 on the Dance chart, #1 in Canada, #6 in The Netherlands, and #7 in New Zealand in 1976.

Aah, everybody, get on the floor
Let’s dance
Don’t fight the feeling
Give yourself a chance

Shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty
Oh, shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty

Aah, You can, you can do it
Very well
You’re the best in the world
I can tell

Oh, Shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty
Oh, shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty
Woah, woah, yeah

Shake shake, shake shake
Aah, Shake shake, shake shake

Aah, Shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty
Oh, shake shake shake, shake shake shake
Shake your booty, shake your booty

Aah, Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
Aah, don’t fight the feeling
Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
Aah, give yourself a chance

Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
You can do it, do it
Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
Come home with mama now

Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
Woo woo hoo
Shake shake, shake shake, shake your booty
Aah, run down to sister

Shake shake (come on), shake shake (come on) on your booty
Aah! do your duty. Aah haa
Shake shake (come on), shake shake (come on)

Source: AZLyrics

BONUS SONG TIME!

A couple of hits later, KC and crew came out with "Keep It Comin’, Love," in 1977. It only reached #2 in the US (still topped the R&B chart and was #9 on the Dance chart and #1 in Canada), but I always liked it better…

Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop it!
Don’t let your well run dry, don’t stop it now.
Don’t give me no reasons why, don’t stop it now!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop it!
Don’t build me up just to let me drop, don’t stop it now!
Don’t turn me on just to turn me off, don’t stop it now!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop it!
Don’t tell me there ain’t no more, don’t stop it now!
Don’t turn me down and just close your door, don’t stop it now!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop!
Keep it coming, love! Keep it coming, love!
Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it, no, don’t stop it now, don’t stop it!

Source: AZLyrics

And that’s Song Lyric Sunday and Song of the Day for May 21, 2023.

Song Lyric Sunday: The Chordettes, “Pink Shoelaces”

Last week was "boy bands," this week is girl groups. I’m picking one from the distant past. Well, okay, not that distant.

The Chordettes were a quartet of female singers that organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin after World War II. They started as a folk group in the style of The Weavers, but after a while got into close harmony. They got their big break in 1949 when they won on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. They were popular through the 1950’s, with two hit singles, "Mr. Sandman" in 1954, which reached #1 in 1955, and "Lollipop", which reached #2 in 1958. You can read more about them on Wikipedia.

"Pink Shoelaces" was a hit for Dodie Stevens in 1959 and was covered by The Chordettes later that year, but evidently not released as a single.

Now I’ve got a guy and his name is Dooley
He’s my guy and I love him truly
He’s not good lookin’, heaven knows
But I’m wild about his crazy clothes

He wears tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

He takes me deep-sea fishing in a submarine
We go to drive-in movies in a limousine
He’s got a whirly-birdy and a 12-foot yacht
Ah, but that’s-a not all he’s got

He’s got tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Now Dooley had a feelin’ we were goin’ to war
So he went out and enlisted in a fightin’ corps
But he landed in the brig for raisin’ such a storm
When they tried to put ’em in a uniform

He wanted tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
He wanted tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

Now one day Dooley started feelin’ sick
And he decided that he better make his will out quick
He said
“Just before the angels come to carry me
I want it down in writin’ how to bury me.”

A’wearin tan shoes with pink shoelaces
A polka dot vest and man, oh, man
Give me tan shoes with pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band

Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh

And a big Panama with a purple hat band!

Source: Genius

And that’s Song Lyric Sunday (and Song of the Day) for May 14, 2023.

Song Lyric Sunday: Menudo, “Hold Me”

Jim’s looking for music by boy bands this week. I thought back to the early-to-mid 1980’s, when Mary and I lived in a majority Mexican neighborhood, and while this group was Puerto Rican, they were nevertheless popular with the youngsters…

Menudo was formed by Edgardo Diaz in Puerto Rico in the late 1970’s, and over the next twenty years or so many young boys were in and out. Ricky Martin, who later had a rather lucrative career as an adult entertainer, was with Menudo from 1984 to 1989. "Hold Me," from 1985, only reached #62 on the Hot 100 and #61 on the R&B chart. However, Billboard ranked it at #53 on its list of "100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Tume," and Rolling Stone ranks it at #40 on its list of "75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time." Howie Rice is credited with writing it.

Everytime I see you
You look so good
You’ve got that magic, ohh
Like a girl should

I just wanna tell you exactly how I feel
I want you to know, girl
That my love for you is for real, oh yeah

I will never turn my back on you now
It doesn’t matter, baby what you do, oh, girl
Oh, girl, I’ll never let you down
I’ll always be around

Just as long as you
Hold me and you tell me
All the sweet things that I need to hear
It’s been so long
Since I felt as strong as I feel for you

I just want you to hold me
Let me show you
How love can make our dreams come true
Let me hold you and I’ll give you
All that you’ll ever need, please just believe me

Whenever I call you
You’re never at home
My friends keep saying that I’m in love alone
When they start talking
I turn the other way
Girl, I want you to know that I need you so
I don’t care what other people say

As long as you hold me
And you tell me
All the sweet things that I need to hear
It’s been so long since I felt as strong
As I feel for you

I just want you to hold me, let me show you
How love can make our dreams come true
Let me hold you and I’ll give you
All that you’ll ever need, please just believe me

I will never turn my back on you now
It doesn’t matter, baby what you do, oh, girl
Oh, girl, I’ll never let you down
I’ll always be around

I just want you to
Hold me and you tell me
All the sweet things that I need to hear
It’s been so long since I felt as strong
As I feel for you

I just want you to hold me
Let me show you
How love can make our dreams come true
Let me hold you and I’ll give you
All that you’ll ever need

I want you to
Hold me and tell me
All the sweet things that I need to hear
It’s been so long since I felt as strong

Source: Genius

That’s Song Lyric Sunday (and Song of the Day) for May 7, 2023.

Song Lyric Sunday: Tremaine Hawkins, “The Potter’s House”

Jim asks us to share gospel music today. Originally, I was going to share something by the great Mahalia Jackson. Then I remembered this song.

This song, quite literally, brings me to tears every time I hear it. The first time was at an intefaith service for people suffering and dying from HIV and AIDS. I forget the name of the church or the choir who sang it, but I’ll never forget how I felt when I heard it.

"The Potter’s House" was written by V. Michael McKay and is on Tramaine Hawkins’s 1990 album Live.

[Verse 1]
In case you have fallen by the wayside of life
Dreams and visions shattered, You’re all broken inside
You don’t have to stay in the shape that you’re in
The potter wants to put you back together again
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again

[Verse 2]
In case your situation has turned upside down
And all that you’ve accomplished, is now on the ground
You don’t have to stay in the shape that you’re in
The potter wants to put you back together again
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again

[Chorus]
You who are broken, stop by the potter’s house
You who need mending, stop by the potter’s house
Give Him the fragments of your broken life
My friend, the potter wants to put you back together again
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again

[Vamp]
Joy in the potter’s house
Peace in the potter’s house
Love in the potter’s house
There is salvation in the potter’s house
There is healing in the potter’s house
There is deliverance in the potter’s house
You’ll find everything you need in the potter’s house

[Outro]
The potter wants to put you back together again
Oh, the potter wants to put you back together again

Source: Genius

I hope this blesses you the way it’s blessed me all these years.

That’s Song Lyric Sunday (and Song of the Day) for April 30, 2023.